Why I No Longer Buy Commercial Trace Elements – And You Shouldn’t Either
Let’s be honest — reefing is already an expensive hobby. Between lights, skimmers, test kits, salt, and livestock, we all spend a fair bit. But there’s one corner of the hobby that’s especially bloated: trace elements.
You know the ones I’m talking about — those 250 ml bottles with fancy branding that promise to add manganese, vanadium, nickel, or whatever the “hot” trace element of the month is. Sold by all the usual reefing brands for anywhere from £20–30 a bottle, they’re marketed as precision supplements, when in reality they’re just basic lab-grade chemicals diluted in water and sold at eye-watering markups.

Now here’s the kicker:
I’ve been making my own trace element supplements for years. No problems. No coral deaths. No “mystery” browning. Just reliable results — because the science behind dosing trace elements is not proprietary, it’s public knowledge. Most companies don’t have access to some secret formula. They simply source the same compounds you or I can buy, dilute them, slap on a label, and charge a 1000x markup.

Let’s make a comparison just for fun.

If a winemaker sold you a bottle of wine for £6, and their cost of ingredients matched the markup reefing companies apply to trace elements, their cost per bottle would be 0.0006p. That’s how absurd the reefing trace element market has become. We’re not paying for R&D or rare ingredients. We’re paying for pretty bottles, marketing, and an illusion of complexity.

Let’s Talk Real Numbers — Without Naming Any Brands
Take manganese as an example. A well-known reefing brand sells a 250 ml manganese supplement for £22. It’s diluted so that 1 ml increases manganese by 4 ppb in 100 litres. That sounds precise — but it’s also extremely weak.
Now compare that to what I’m offering:
500 ml for £11 — at the exact same concentration.
That’s double the volume for half the price.
Why? Because I’m not trying to rip anyone off. I just don’t believe basic reef supplements should cost more than a decent bottle of wine.

I’m not running a business, just sharing what I’ve already made for myself. These are the same DIY-grade solutions I’ve been dosing for years without issue. I know exactly what’s in them — nothing hidden, nothing mysterious — just the correct compound at the correct dilution.

So Why Are Companies Charging So Much?
Because they can.
Because trace elements are shrouded in mystery and marketed as advanced.
Because most reefers assume they’re too risky or too complex to make yourself.
But the reality is, if you can dose vinegar or mix kalkwasser, you can handle trace elements. Especially when they’re pre-mixed, pre-diluted, and labeled clearly — like what I’m offering.

This isn’t about undercutting or competing with brands. It’s about cutting through the nonsense and making reefing affordable and transparent again.

If you’re interested, message me. I’m happy to share what I’ve made — no markup, no gimmicks, just fair supplements for fair reefers.

I cover pretty much all our TRACE ELEMENT needs except for iodine and iron ( these are already priced reasonably with good concentration by some companies ) including also NITRATE and PHOSPHATE supplements and some of the MAJOR ELEMENTS too ! Get in touch to find out more or keep on doing what you’re doing 🙂

shop@coralbay.uk or send me a txt 07724632132

Paul